Officials hope oil spill in Kalamazoo River will be stopped at Morrow Dam in Kalamazoo County's Comstock Township; say it shouldn't reach Saugatuck and Lake Michigan

Gazette / Jonathon GruenkeJohn Corcoran, center, and Cam Meyers, right, watch in shock from the 15 Mile Road bridge in Calhoun County as oil leaks into the Kalamazoo River Tuesday afternoon. 800,000 gallons of oil was released into the Kalamazoo River in Marshall.

Scott Corbin, Allegan County emergency management director, said state officials told local responders Tuesday that Morrow Dam in Comstock Township and its adjacent retention pond are being geared to contain the oil-laden water in the Kalamazoo River.

The contamination stems from an estimated 840,000 gallons of crude that spewed from a ruptured distribution pipeline near Marshall and into the Kalamazoo River on Monday.

If oil does manage to escape the Morrow site, Corbin said at least two other retention locations — one at Otsego and a second at Lake Allegan — could keep the crude from reaching Lake Michigan at Saugatuck.

“If we haven’t stopped it by the time it gets to Saugatuck, shame on us,” Corbin said. “It should never reach the marsh, let alone come into Saugatuck.”

State Rep. Bob Genetski, R-Saugatuck, said in a statement that the oil is expected to be contained “long before it reaches Saugatuck and the lakeshore region.”

“A quick and effective cleanup response is very important to local tourism and commerce, especially with the Venetian Festival coming up this weekend,” Genetski said. “From all the people I’ve contacted, it’s believed the oil will be halted up river and that none will enter Lake Michigan or threaten our beaches.”

Corbin said that state and federal officials have “a lot of resources and assets on the ground at Morrow Dam,” Corbin said.

“They’re bringing in skimmers all the way from New York,” Corbin said. “The public needs to understand there are measures being taken to mitigate the issue and resolve it... In my opinion, the responders from EPA, the MDEQ (now called Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment) and the company (pipeline owner Enbridge Energy Partners) are doing a good job.”

Corbin said federal officials told local emergency leaders this the second largest oil spill in the federal region that includes Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The Morrow hydro-electric dam is built with a retention pond for holding water to maintain certain flow levels. That water is drawn down from the bottom of the reservoir.

Since oil floats on the surface, officials believe they should be able to capture the contamination and remove it while maintaining the water level by pumping water out from below.

If oil does escape at Morrow, Corbin said a “cosmetic” dam and retention pond at Otsego could “slow or even stop the oil.” And a Consumers Energy hydroelectric dam on Lake Allegan that also releases water below surface level would provide a third stop-gap.

Meanwhile, Corbin said the area has three or four companies that produce oil-absorbing or containment products. Several others contract to clean-up small spills.

“With this large of a spill, resources will become limited,” Corbin added.Weather is another factor officials are watching. Corbin said National Weather Service forecasts of rain and some wind gusts Wednesday could hamper containment and clean-up. Contact Kathy Jessup at kjessup@kalamazoogazette.com or 269-388-8590.